Wolcott knifesmith hopes ‘Forged in Fire’ TV show gives his ministry an edge

Brian Evelich, a Wolcott minister, shows the sword he forged for an episode of the History Channel's "Forged in Fire" show. Evelich runs a program mentoring young adults through forging and knifesmithing. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant) (Mark Mirko)

Turning scraps of metal and rusting steel into show-grade knives is more than a hobby for Brian Evelich: It’s part of a ministry.

Evelich took up metalsmithing as a hobby two and a half years ago, and got so good at it that he earned a spot on History Channel’s “Forged in Fire” competition.

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On the March 6 episode, the show’s judges awarded Evelich second place for the steel Hussar saber that he had meticulously crafted in the forge behind his Wolcott home. On Wednesday , History Channel is set to show more about the contest during its “Cutting Deeper” segment at 10 p.m.

Evelich sees the notoriety as a way to spread the Gospel, saying “God doesn’t provide opportunities for exposure without a reason.”

Evelich has headed Connecticut’s chapter of the Child Evangelism Fellowship since he retired as a captain with the correction department nearly 10 years ago. More recently, he has created Forging Foundations Inc., a nonprofit that encourages Connecticut teenagers to learn about crafting knives, tomahawks and swords. Evelich opens his home forge to small groups of teens and their parents so they can work together on crafting a bladed instrument from start to finish — while also discussing the Bible.

“Almost everything we do here equates to something from Scripture," Evelich said as he led visitors through a recent tour of the barn behind his home. On the ground were discarded metal strips from old horse carts, scrapped hand tools and dusty leaf springs from the chassis of a long-junked truck.

“I love using recycled stuff," Evelich said as he pointed out a series of gleaming knives that he had made from similar scrap metal. "Transformation takes heat, pressure and time.”

Producers of “Forged in Fire” were intrigued by Evelich’s cause as a way to promote the show; a promo ad began with him saying “I’m a minister” as he worked on his project in front of TV cameras. Just the ad alone brought some notoriety, he said. A stranger recognized Evelich in a local bank based just on the promo and asked to get a photo with him.

With his second-place finish, Evelich expects he’ll be a part of the History Channel’s follow-up to its Hussar saber episode. The “Cutting Deeper” program is scheduled to air Wednesday at 10 p.m. and again on Thursday at 1 a.m. It will show new footage of the four contestants as they tried to craft reproductions of the Austro-Hungarian Hussar saber, a centuries-old cavalry sword.

Evelich is hoping it will help spread the word of using knifesmithing as a way to mentor youth. An oversized sign in his barn lists the stages of making a knife, starting with leveling and shaping the blank metal through shaping and hardening the blade to removing the brittleness and sharpening the edge. The final line reads: Go cut something.

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“That means do something with what you’ve learned,” he said. “God doesn’t intend us to be spectators.”